March

New York Times bestselling author and journalist Ace Atkins will deliver the Graduate School's New Horizons Lecture on Thursday, April 2, at 2 p.m. in Auburn University's Foy Hall Ballroom. The event is free and open to the public.

According to published reports, President Obama is expected to reference payday lending Thursday, March 26, when he delivers a speech on economic development at Lawson State Community College in Birmingham. But payday lending has been under the microscope of three Auburn University Harbert College of Business finance professors for some time.

Most members of the Auburn University Family know about the Auburn University Libraries' mission as a research and study destination for students, faculty and staff. What many don't know is that AUL also has a wider mission that dates back 108 years: that of a Federal depository library.

The Auburn Alumni Association has awarded four Auburn University graduates its highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award. They are: Samuel L. "Sam" Ginn, class of 1959, president and retired CEO of AirTouch, now Vodafone; Melissa Brown Herkt, class of 1977, retired president of Process Systems and Solutions, a division of Emerson Process Management; David E. Housel, class of 1969, Auburn University athletic director emeritus; and W. Michael "Mike" Warren, class of 1968, president and CEO of Children's of Alabama. J. Benjamin "Ben" Chappell, class of 2003, owner and principal of Interior Elements, is the recipient of the Young Alumni Achievement Award, which recognizes extraordinary accomplishments of a member of the Auburn Family, age 40 and under.

Jonathan Armbruster, biological sciences professor and curator of fishes for the Auburn University Museum of Natural History, has named a previously unknown species of catfish in honor of the enigmatic Star Wars fan favorite, Greedo.

Some teenagers bag groceries, flip hamburgers or deliver pizzas. By the time Ben Gustafson graduated from Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, South Carolina, in 2011, he co-owned a company.

Auburn University College of Liberal Arts senior Rachel Pipan has been named a winner of the 2015 Daniel J. Edelman Public Relations Student Society of America Award by Edelman Public Relations. As one of only two national winners, she will receive $1,500 and a three-month paid internship at one of Edelman's U.S. offices to help advance her public relations skills.

Research by an Auburn University assistant professor implies that more than half of the global land area could experience water scarcity by the end of 21st century.

The Auburn University Women's Resource Center will host the ninth annual Women's Leadership Conference Friday, March 13, in Ballroom A at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center, highlighted by a keynote address from Reita Clanton -- Auburn alumna, Olympic athlete and coach and Alabama Sports Hall of Fame inductee.

It was the middle of the afternoon on April 15, 2013. Two bombs exploded 12 seconds apart near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring hundreds of others. It would easily be the nation's biggest news story of the year. Down the coast in New York, David Ingram, who would later win an Emmy for his role in NBC News' coverage of the bombing's aftermath, was asleep during the tragic event.

Auburn University will officially dedicate the new Auburn Oaks on April 18 at 5 p.m. at Toomer's Corner. Following the conclusion of the A-Day spring football game, the university and the City of Auburn will team up to throw a block party with live entertainment, the Auburn University Marching Band, cheerleaders and Aubie.

The Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences will host the third annual Spring Fling on Saturday, April 18, at Coach Pat Dye's Crooked Oaks Hunting Preserve in Notasulga, Alabama. All proceeds raised from the event will go to benefit scholarships, fellowships and student programs in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences.

Do you have a great cupcake recipe you'd like to take to the next level? Or maybe you raise cattle or catfish and would like to grow your livestock business, but you don't know much about finding financing or creating a marketing program.

Michelle Worosz, a food and agriculture sociologist at Auburn University, will give a public talk on "Poverty and Food Security in the U.S. and at Home" as part of the Honors College "k(no)w poverty? lecture series Monday, March 9, at 6 p.m. in Langdon Hall. Worosz is an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology and the Food Systems Institute at Auburn University.

Auburn University is becoming one of Alabama's most popular destinations for visiting dignitaries from foreign governments through the university's Diplomatic Program. These international representatives provide students with global experience without studying abroad.

Imagine having only three minutes to explain your doctoral research to a general audience – this is the challenge for students competing in the "Three Minute Thesis" competition. An Auburn University doctoral student from the Department of Chemical Engineering recently won Auburn's competition and will now represent the university in the second annual Conference of Southern Graduate Schools' 3MT competition March 8 in New Orleans.

Colin Beavan of the "No Impact Man" book, film and blog will speak at Auburn University Monday, March 9, as part of the university's No Impact Week March 8-15. Beaven will give a public talk about "How to Make the Life and World you Want" from 4 -6 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom.

The Rev. Bernard LaFayette Jr. will discuss his new memoir, "In Peace and Freedom: My Journey in Selma," on Wednesday, March 4, at noon at the Tuskegee History Center, 104 S. Elm St. LaFayette was co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, a political organization that played a role in the civil rights movement. He will discuss his time as a leader of the civil rights movement in Nashville, Tennessee, and Selma, Alabama. Books will be available for purchase and signing.